Finished leather products generally require maintenance polishes to preserve, clean and water-proof them. For this reason, many products referred to as leather protectants can be found on the market. These protective products include, e.g. shoe polishes used to impart a high-gloss, maintain the feel of the leather and increase the leather's resistance to weathering, scuffing and scratching. The majority of shoe polishes are of the solvent paste type based on solvents and waxes. Silicone-based products constitute another type of protectant applied to leather, vinyl and rubber.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,497,919, for example, discloses an emulsion-type polish composition suitable for treating natural and synthetic leather articles that provides a durable high-gloss finish that is substantially self-polishing. The composition is a water-in-oil emulsion comprising a wax mixture, a film-forming agent, a film-modifying agent, a non-ionic emulsifying agent, an anionic dispersing agent, a thickening agent, a solvent, a preservative and water. U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,558 describes a wipe-on clear protectant based on a polyurethane, which provides a finish that is durable and long-lasting, is not injurious to the leather or artificial leather on which it is applied and is not slippery or tacky to the touch. In the protectant, polyurethane is dissolved in isopropyl alcohol and ethylene glycol monobutyl ether is added.
The resulting liquid is wiped as a clear liquid onto the surface of the cleaned and dry leather or artificial leather product which is to be protected. The finish is said to dry clear, even, water-proof, smooth and without tackiness in less than 30 minutes. US-A-2002/0039985 discloses a liquid cleaning composition for cleaning plastic, leather, and vinyl surfaces comprising:    a) a volume of cleaning solution; and    b) a fragrance, wherein a user would spray the cleaning composition onto the surface to be cleaned, and further wherein a user would then wipe up the cleaning composition.
The known leather treatment compositions, however, cannot be considered satisfactory in all aspects. The solvent paste type based shoe polishes, for example, dry after application to a dull finish and must be buffed to produce a high natural shine. The protective effect they produce tends to deluster quite quickly on exposure to moisture. Silicone-based leather treating compositions, on the other hand, leave a somewhat greasy or slippery feel on the leather after they are used. These compositions also tend to encourage plasticizer migration rendering the leather or vinyl harder and more brittle. In addition, the known leather treating agents are not completely satisfactory as regards combined water and oil resistance as well as gloss of the treated leather surface. They also often suffer from the disadvantage that dust sticks to the surface of the treated leather and is not easy to remove.
WO-A-00/68189 discloses fluorochemical compounds comprising:    a) a fluorochemical oligomeric portion comprising an aliphatic backbone with a plurality of pendant fluoroaliphatic groups, each fluoroaliphatic group having a fully fluorinated terminal group and each independently linked to a carbon atom of the aliphatic backbone through an organic linking group;    b) an aliphatic moiety; and    c) a linking group which links the fluorochemical oligomeric portion to the aliphatic moiety.
These fluorochemical compounds are said to be useful as topical treatments for fibrous substrates such as textiles and fabrics, and as polymer melt additives to provide desirable oil, water and stain repellency to shaped articles such as fibers. WO-A-02/38850 discloses a method of treating fibrous substrates, such as leather, by contacting the substrate with a fluorochemical compound as disclosed in WO-A-00/68189 to provide desirable oil, water and stain repellency to the leather.